HawkNordic: Nordic Clothing
Sunday, November 9What clothing do I need for Nordic?
Hopkinton Nordic Clothing Suggestions
If you are thinking about what you will need for clothing this Nordic season; here are some guidelines
1. Hat: The team provides a race hat
2. Dress in layers:
a. Polypropylene t-shirts
b. Polypropylene turtle necks
c. Lightweight vest
* A good place to purchase these items is Sierra Traders (see the Links page) This is a discounter and you can get t-shirts for about $10 and turtlenecks for about $14-16.
3. Jacket: I think everyone has or will order a team jacket
4. Cross-country ski pants:
a. They’re a lot of vendors for these; Swix and Sporthill XC are both very good.
b. If that’s too pricy a good pair of wind pants with polypropylene underwear works well.
c. Polypropylene underwear.
d. Wind-briefs for boys (Swix & Craft makes these and although a bit expensive their value is priceless on a cold race day)
5. Smartwool Socks:
*A good place to buy these is the LL Bean outlet store; usually about $6.
a. You should plan on having at least 3 pair of these. One layer of socks in a properly fit boot should work fine. If you have poor circulation you might want a sock liner.
6. Gloves or mittens:
Probably one of the toughest items to buy. Mittens are obviously the warmest, but also the worst thing to ski in. They are generally too big to hold the poles well. If you really want mittens consider the “lobster mitten” made by both Swix and Yoko. Gloves can be bought in a variety of ranges; you don’t want a glove that you might use for alpine because it will be difficult to hold the poles. Consider a medium weight glove that has some windproof materials. If you stay in the Swix / Yoko line you should be fine. S&W has a good selection, as do most websites; see the Links page.
7. A fanny belt water bottle carrier:
Dehydration is very real in the winter and its hard to ski and carry a water bottle. Besides not having and using one drives the coach crazy! EMS, S&W, Akers Ski online
Most important consideration:
We never want to be wearing cotton when we ski !!!!